Page 12

“What do you mean go mad?”

Tiera was eating some of the snacks that Ziggy had coaxed out of the dispenser in front of her eyes.

Rothaway sighed, “Tonos would be a better person to question. He is a medic.”

Tiera waved her hands. “Explain please. I don’t want to make any social gaffs.”

He straightened, “Right. Well, our parent race mated via pheromone triggers as many do. We have evolved to determine our mate via contact. When we find a woman ninety-eight percent compatible, and we touch, our body keys itself to that female. Depending on our race, there are a variety of effects which occur after that initial contact.”

Ziggy reached over and snagged a cracker, “Aggression toward other males is one of those side effects. Apparently they get horny and then they get deadly.”

Rothaway looked upset for a moment, but then, he nodded in agreement. “It is an unflattering but accurate assessment.”

“What stops it?”

Ziggy sipped and munched. “Well, Rothaway went to medical for several years and got suppressing shots.”

Rothaway’s dark skin darkened further. “I will leave you two to catch up. I will return in an hour with some more appropriate clothing for dinner. Don’t fill up. There is a council dinner in three hours.”

He got to his feet, kissed Ziggy in the most passionate embrace that Tiera had ever witnessed and escaped.

Tiera laughed, “He lasted longer than I expected him to.”

Ziggy grinned, “I know. He has stamina. Let me just confirm that. So, what do you want to know?”

“What was your wedding like?”

Ziggy’s gaze got far away. “There is a private area in the central garden, the air is filled with the scent of flowers and everything is so soothing.

“We stood in front of the altar stone, and I pulled the knife—”

“Knife?”

“I pulled the knife, and Rothaway put his wrist against it, breaking the skin. He bit my wrist, and we pressed the wounds together. This transferred his rut to me, and the first moment that we had alone, I jumped him.”

Tiera laughed and then sobered. “A knife? You are serious?”

“The blood keys him to me and me to him. It is freaky at times, but I am trying to get used to it. When you finish the cutting, you put the dagger back into the altar, and your union is now official by the laws of the Nine.”

“And you didn’t think that was weird?”

Ziggy cackled, “I thought it was nuts. If it weren’t for Rothaway being serious and focussed, I would have made a run for it. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere but I would have taken off.”

Tiera grinned, “So, we don’t touch the men of the Nine.”

Ziggy snickered, “Not unless you want to chance being stuck up her indefinitely. I can tell you, once they find a mate, they are not eager to let them go.”

Tiera tried to forget the peculiar shudder that had run through Tonos when she touched his arm, the fluttering of his wings and the flexing of the muscles in his body-builder physique.

Ziggy caught on to her change in expression. “What? What did you do?”

Tiera bit her lip.

“Wait, who did you touch and what happened?”

“It was probably nothing. I am sure it was nothing. It couldn’t have been anything, I am sure that he was just cold or something.”

Zig leaned forward. “He shivered? Did anything else happen?”

Tiera winced, “His wings flicked, eyes heated up and he licked his lips repeatedly. He said he was fine, but how would we know if he was affected?”

Zig closed her eyes and found the information. “The Air Folk signal that they have found a mate with a change to their wings. The delicate veins harden and the panels become as hard as steel. Basically, if he has been affected, he is now carrying four swords on his back.”

Tiera winced, “What would that be for?”

“Fighting over females. It is possible for a female to be perfect for more than one male, and so they fought to get her to be theirs exclusively. If that wasn’t possible, they would try and abduct the woman and keep her with them until the bonding had been enacted.”

“And the women just stand for this?”

Zig smiled, “When it happens, you will know. You will do whatever it takes to get your male and nothing will stand in your way. A ninety-eight percent chance is way better than the odds of knowing that a Gaian man is meant for you.”

Tiera leaned back, “So, you have embraced becoming one of the Nine completely then?”

Ziggy shook herself and sat up. “In the last few days, I have learned more about space, the races who live out here and the history of our world than I had ever imagined. The Nine came here because they wanted to know what could possibly attract the Tokkel to their old world. They stayed because we showed potential to become more than simple colonists on a tempting world.”

The word potential suddenly snapped Tiera into understanding. “You are the reason that they are here. You are our Potential, Ziggy.”

Her friend’s blush was enough proof. “It wasn’t my idea.”

Tiera laughed. “I know it wasn’t, but it is weird how things turn out. If you hadn’t been going to get those crocuses for your mom, you wouldn’t have been taken, wouldn’t have escaped and wouldn’t have met Rothaway for the first time. You have always been so very special, and you spent your time hiding it. I am glad that it is out in the light of day.”

They sat in silence until Tiera couldn’t stand it anymore and dragged in a deep breath. “Fine, so what do the women of the People of the Air look like? What colour are their wings?”

“Only the men have wings. It is sexist, but it is how they evolved.”

Tiera leaned forward and whispered, “How sexually compatible are they with Gaians?”

“I don’t know if it is because of three generations growing up on Gaia changed our bits to match but we fit together very well. Any minor shifts are being corrected by the blood exchange.”

They chatted about minor matters, the rumour mill that was talking about Ziggy’s sudden departure from the surface. Many folks said she was being arrested for war crimes, and in a funny way, they were right. If she hadn’t assaulted Rothaway to knock him out, none of this would have happened.

“So, why is he going to get me clothing? I brought plenty of stuff.”

Ziggy grinned, “They are not impressed with Gaian clothing. They like their women to look like women and not cargo operators on leave.”

“Hey, I have some very nice stuff.”

Ziggy patted her arm. “I am sure you do, but just wait until you get to wear some Wilder formal wear. You will feel all delicate and weird.”

A suspicion filled Tiera. “Is he trying to set me up with someone?”

Zig shook her head, “No. They don’t do that sort of thing. Every male is responsible for his own female. If they are compatible but there is some hesitation on her part, he kisses her in front of witnesses and that is equivalent to an engagement. Since they don’t touch casually, it is a fairly serious thing.”

After some less serious conversation, Ziggy showed her how to find the porn on the entertainment unit by looking at the tiny logo on the left side. A strange squiggly icon was now burned in her mind. The documentaries had an option for Gaian language, and Ziggy blinked in surprise.

“That’s new. It wasn’t there when I got here.”

“They knew you could understand their language. Or they suspected. My guess is that whatever I eat, drink or watch in here is going to be recorded or at least observed.”

Ziggy was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door. She went and opened it, allowing her mate and his parcels inside.

Apparently, it was time to dress for dinner.